Labeling-machine.



F. COATES.

LABELING MACHINE.

vAPPLICATION FILED nmz. 191s.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI mma@ als @Wonne/13 F. COATES.

LABELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.2. 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gnou/Ufo@ narran srafrns narrar ernten".

FREDERTCK COATES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LABELING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

Application filed December 2, 1913. Serial No. 804,152.

To all cl2/tom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Fnnnnnrcn Con'rns, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, county of Monroe, State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Labeling-lvlachines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts in each of the several views.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically applying labels and like slips or bands to bottles, boxes and other containers and articles.

A prime object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which while very simple in construction and with few working parts, is adapted to handle the bottles rapidly, applying the labels automatically and with precision. To this and other ends, I provide, in the preferred embodiment shown, a movable carrier shown as of rotary dial or turret form having a series of seats to carry the bottles placed thereon, first into the range of label and glue supplying mechanisms and then into the range of label ai'hxing mechanism. For attaining this result, and for arranging the label ailixing mechanism in cooperative relation to the bottles and labels at one part of their range of movement, while at the same time not being in the way of the label and glue supplying mechanisms, I mount operative portions of the label aiiixing mechanism on a separate rotary dial or turret of smaller size than the bottle carrying dial as shown, and so mounted with reference thereto as to bring the label aflixing means, shown as brushes, into operative relation with the bottles as they are pressed from theirseats on the bottle carrying dial at one part of the range of movement.

The foregoing and other objects and Afeatures of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in connection-with the accompanying drawings and will be thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation showing operative portions of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a central vertical section, showing the two dials with their mounting, and the parts carried thereby, with other parts of the machine omitted; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view looking down upon the support for the bottle carrying dial at the left side of Fig. 3 and with such dial removed; and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the label supplying mechanism.

The bottle carrying dial or turret 1 is mounted on a suitable pivot stud 2 fixed to and upstanding from a bracket piece 3 which is rigidly held with its inner end supported at the top of a post t fixed to and upstanding from a pedestal support 5, while its outer end is supported by a post 6 upstanding from a plate support 7 shown as formed integral with the pedestal 5. The dial 1 has spaced about its peripheral portion a series of re-` cesses 8 shown as oblong and rectangular.

Any desired number of these recesses may beV provided, eight being shown, and at the t'op of the sides thereof I ix yielding strips 9 projecting inward partially over the opening to form yielding seats for the bottles or other articles to be labeled. These flexible strips may be of any suitable shape or size according to the requirements of the particular articles to be labeled so as to properly hold the same when placed thereon, but permitting the bottles to be pressed through the seats thus provided by a presser element for the label aiiixing. To aid in correctly positioning the bottles on these seats, I preferably provide backing pieces 10 at the inner ends of the openings 8, these backing pieces being so set that when the bottles abut thereagainst they are in proper position for the label aiiixing operation. At the sides of the openings 8 underneath the dial, c'. e., under the flexible seat strips 9 I fix platen strips 11, presenting smooth faces downward and adapted to receive liquid adhesive or glue from an adhesive applying roll 12 mounted in a glue pot 13 carried on the frame work of the machine.

The pivot post 2 on which the dial 1 is mounted is offset some little distance from the post 4L, and this latter post serves as a journal mounting for a second dial or turret 14C which is held up quite close to the dial 1 by spacing and holding elements 15 mounting is so offset with Vdial 1 that at one side, z.

Y vide Vgear teeth in the peripheries of the re-l` spective dials, the teeth of dial 14 driving which secure it to aplate 16 recessed to form part of a Geneva gear movement, the driving element 17 of which is fixed on vertical shaft 18 mounted in the frame work. rlhe dial 11i is shown as with its peripheral portion dished upward as seen at 19 to bring it as close as possible to the dial 1 and this peripheral portion is equipped with a series of openings 2O corresponding insize, number and relative arrangement with the openings 8 of the dial 1.. The dial 1-1 is' of a size, and its journal reference to the c., at the right as seen in Fig. 3, the openings 2O will come into register with the openings 8 of the dial 1. rllhe dial 1lV has fixed thereto underneath land at the sides of the openings 20, brushes 21 carried by suitable backing pieces 22, Vand projecting into the space beneath said openings. Since the dial 111: is considerably smallerfthan the dial 1 and is mounted so that one side of its circumference substantially coincides with that of dial 1, it follows that the dial 1 overlaps and extends out beyond the dial 14 at the opposite side providing clearance space for mounting the glue applying roll 12 and also the label supplying mechanism. The label supplying mechanism may be of any suitable or desired type and is shown as consisting of a magazine holder 23 carried by a vertically slidable post 24' suitably mounted in the frame work and having an oper-r ating arm 25 with -a yieldable connection Q6 to the magazine holder. TheV details of this part of the apparatus form no part of the present invention and reference is made to my Patent No. 1,0at9,996, January 7, 1913 for a fuller disclosure thereof in one illustrative form.

It is, of course, essential for the bringing of the openings 8 and 20 into register at one side of the dials that they be rotated in synchronism, and for this purpose l proasmall pinion 27 fixed on a stud shaft 28 journaled in a bracket 29 upstanding from Ythe framework, this stud shaft also having thereon another pinion 30 rigid with the mesh with the teeth of the must make their rotations inv equal times, though the dial 1 being` the larger, it is necessary that this dial have the greater peripheral speed and to effect this I make the pinion 30 just enough larger than the pinion 27 to accomplish this end. The turret 14 and through it the turret 1 are given intermittent step-by-step rotation through the Geneva. gear device 16, 17, so as to advance the bottle holding seats one step Aat each' movement. 'As the platen faces 11 pass the I glue roll 12 which presses thereagainst, it

applies glue to said faces, and as the platen surfaces thus glued come to a succeeding station, the label magazine moves upward to press the topmost label against the platen surfaces so that it adheres thereto and is carried along in the subsequent movement u ith its central portion stretched across the bottom of an opening 8. The bottles are deposited on the seats formed by yielding strips J either automatically or by hand as the dial advances, and when the openings 8 and 20 come into register the bottle is pressed down through the openings 8 and 20 picking up the label as it goes and causing the glued ends thereof to be wrapped around the bottle by the action of b1 ashes 21.

I preferably provide means whereby the central portion of the label, which is first engaged by the bottle, is clamped or cinched to the bottle before the beginning of the wiping action so that disarrangemeut of the label is prevented and for this purpose l provide a backing piece vertical slidable post 32 mounted in the frame work, this backing element being normally drawn upward by a. spring 33 and intermittently pressed downward at the proper intervals by a lever arm 31 engaged with its lower end, this lever arm being pivoted at 35 to the pedestal and having its other end engaged by an open face cam 3o fixed on shaft 18.

As a means for pressing the bottles downward through their seats for the label allixing li provide a presser piece 37 carried at the upper ends of vertically slidable rods 3S which may be guided in the bracket 29, these rods having their lower ends engaged. by a lever aim 39 fulcrumed at `l0 to the pedestal and having its other end operated by a cam al fixed on shaft 18.

The shaft 18 is shown as driven by bevel gearir;l 42 from a prime drive shaft alii which has a pulley and belt connection l-l to operate the glue roll 12. The actuating arm 25 of the label magazine may have a journal bearing 45 and may be operated through any suitable connection with the driving mechanism for its requisite intermittent movement.

It will be understood that the downward movement of block 31 as the bottle is pressed thereagainst, is resisted by spring so that the label is centrally cinchcd or gripped as it is wrapped around the bottle, the cam 3G be ing merely to hold the block 31 down after the pressure 37 has act-ed, and until the bottle is discharged. No special dischargingmeans for the bottles is shown herein and after the labeling these may be removed by hand or automatically as desired.

It iS to be observed that the label applying means, shown as the brushes 21, are thus mounted on the rotating dial 14 so as to be 31 mounted on a in proper relation with the presser piece 37, and in vertical alinement with a bottle seat when said presser piece acts, and that these brushes with the bottle between them are then moved onward past the label applying station and out of the way thereof so that the bottles can be conveniently removed.

The term label as herein used is, of course, merely illustrative and intended to typify any ieXible slip or band adapted to be applied in the manner described, and the term bottle is also intended to typify any container or article adapted to receive a label in the manner described. I consider' the arrangement of dials with offset centers of rotation, and of divers sizes cooperating in the manner described, to be a valuable and important feature of invention and l intend the appended claims to define this broadly without limitation as to details. I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and refer to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a rotatable carrier having a series of yielding` bottle holding seats about its peripheral portion, said carrier having pro vision adjacent said seats to receive adhesive and labels, a second carrier equipped with label applying means and mounted to bring said means into cooperative relation with said seats at one part of its movement and out of such relation at another part of its movement, and means for pressing bottles from said seats to be acted on by said label applying means.

2. Apparatus of the kind described, comjirising a dial mounted for rotation and equipped with a series of yielding bottle f holding seats, a carrier mounted adjacent and parallel to said dial and connected to move in synchronism therewith, said carrier being equipped with label applying means, arranged to be moved into coperative relation with said seats at one point in their travel and out of cooperative relation at another point, means for supplying adhesive and labels, and means for pressing the bottles from said seats to be acted on by said label applying means.

3. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a dial mounted for rotation and equipped with yielding bottle holding seats about its peripheral portion, a second dial mounted to turn in parallelism with the first dial and in synchronism therewith, said second dial bearing label applying means movable into and out of cooperative relation with said seats at different parts of the range of movement, label and adhesive supplying means mounted in cooperative relation toa portion of the iirst named dial extending beyond the second dial, and means for pressing the bottles from said seats to be acted upon by said label applying means.

4. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a rotary dial equipped with a series of yielding seats in its peripheral portion, a second dial of smaller size mounted adjacent and parallel to said irst dial, the centers of said dials being in offset relation, and said second dial bearing label applying means, means for moving said dials in synchronism, means mounted in coperative relation to a portion of the first named dial extending beyond the second dial for supplying adhesive and labels, and means for pressing the bottles from said seats to be acted upon by said label applying means.

5. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a. lower dial mounted for rotation and bearing label applying means, an upper dial of larger size mounted in oii'set relation to the lower dial and equipped with a series of yielding bottle holding seats in its peripheral portion, said seats overhanging the lower dial at one part of the rotation, and being in vertical alinement with said label applying means at another part of the rotation, adhesive and label supplying means mounted in cooperative relation with the overhanging portion of the upper dial, and means for pressing the bottles from said seats when in alinement with said label applying means, there being connections for rotating said dials in synchronism.

6. Apparat-us of the kind described, comprising a dial mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane and equipped with a series of yielding seats for bottles in its peripheral portion and with provision at the sides of said seats to pick up adhesive and labels underneath, a second dial of smaller size mounted beneath said first dial and in ci set relation thereto, said second dial having a series of devices for applying labels to the bottles, means for moving said dials in syn chronism and so that said seats are at one point positioned over said label applying means, and means for pressing the bottles through said seats and into operative relation with said label applying means at said point.

7. Apparatus of the kind described, comprising a dial mounted to rotate in a horizontal plane equipped with yielding seats for bottles in its peripheral portion and with provision at the sides' of said seats for picking up adhesive and labels, a second smaller dial mounted beneath said first dial and in offset relation thereto, said second dial bearing label applying means consisting in spaced apart brushes, adhesive and label supplying means mounted for coperation with an overlianging portion of said rst named lOO 'n'mgn l dlal, 'sald dlals being lntergeareol tov move 1n In testlmony whereof, I have slgned my Synchronlsm and so that sind label applylng nume to thls Spemcatlon, 111 the presence of vmeans 1s 1n vertlcal allnement Wlth smal seats two subscnbmg Witnesses.

at one position, means for moving the bottles FREDERICK COATES. from `saol seats'to ax the labels at said po- Vfitnesses:

stOn, and means for imparting intermittent M. H. SNYDER,

rotation to said dials. Y lV. H. SHAFEH.

' Copies of this ptent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

